Requiem of an Institution

You're never far from my thoughts My prayers include you every day And you would think as hard as I have fought That sheer force of will would've made you stay A life well lived, a soul well loved Is how I could describe your path Souls devoid of joy and mirth Is how I'd describe your aftermath We merged, we met, we laughed and wept As nights turned into days All of the blended years collected Memories of work and play We loved, we lost, and at great cost You departed this physical plane I keep on crying, yet denying How I'm handling the pain There's no forgetting the sheer impact of Your influence, strength, and grace The inner resolve and intellect The indelible beauty of your face You built a lasting legacy You taught us right from wrong You kept us close, you raised us right Through all these years remained so strong You always had a joke to tell A smile always graced your face You were the backbone of our family There's not a soul who could replace Mighty in action, slow to anger An unkind word never spoken The absence of you singing or dancing To a country song just leaves me broken We always knew this day would come The dread has anchored our hearts down Now ashes to ashes, dust to dust We have returned you to the ground There's not a doubt in any of our minds You live on in God's memory The generations you have ushered on Remain a part of your lasting legacy You are well loved and respected Cherished as partner, patriarch, and friend We all will mourn the enormity of your loss At least, until we're reunited in Paradise again